Whether 'tis nobler to finish the season and suffer
The slings and arrows of lockouts in the offseason
Or to take arms against the owners
And by opposing force them to negotiate. To bargain-to trust-
No way; and by trust to mean we believe
The pleads of poverty and bankruptcy
That some franchises are heir to. 'Tis a report
Devoutly to be mistrusted. To bargain-to trust.
To trust-perchance to play: ay, there's the risk!
For in that trusting what dreams may fade
When the owners impose new work rules,
Must give us pause. There's the fear
That wipes out the sanctity of the season.
For who would bear the terms and conditions,
The oppressor's wrong, the changes made unilaterally.
The pangs of revenue sharing, the salary drags,
The insolence of drug testing, the threat of contraction
That tax on portions of payrolls above $98 million,
When he himself, Mr Selig, gets 85 million to share as he pleases
With the poorer teams? Who would this burden bear,
To grunt and sweat under the summer sun,
But for the dread of no World Series-
The devoted watchers from the stands, from such betrayal
Few fans return, fed up by it all-
And makes us wonder if it is better to walk out
Than to risk losing our big paychecks?
Thus baseball does make traitors of us all,
And thus our love of the game
Is overshadowed by greed
And the desire for more money and fame
With this regard few players depart
And lose a night's sleep. But, be soft fans.
The magic Mariners, priming for their best-
Be all our strengths remembered.
Will the players strike? Some think it is inevitable because neither side is willing to bend.
The commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig insists some teams are on the verge of bankruptcy. He wants to contract, or do away with a couple of teams after this season. He also wants to restore the competitive balance, by distributing the money more equally, so that all teams have a chance to be good.
The player's union doesn't believe the financial status of baseball is as bad as Selig says, that this is just a negotiating tactic. They think the owners proposals will result in salary caps, which they don't want.
Both sides want to reach a resolution and avoid a strike. Let's hope they will find a way.
To read more on this subject, click on the following links:
Labor cloud won't blow away
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/ma...
No major league team in danger of going bankrupt
http://mariners.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/n...
Selig:one team could fold
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/7...
Strike threat twists M's plans
http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/02/7/7/...
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